“I enjoy every bit of it – the responsibility, the successes and dealing with everything that came up. There was a real sense of satisfaction in it.” – Bran McCoy
Hello, my fellow human beings. My name is Serge and I’m about to share with you my thoughts about my first trip to the farm of my dear friend Belal. Have you ever thought about what a farm is? Is it just a place where you raise animals and grow fruits and vegetables? Or, are there deeper meanings to it? How do you view farms? What do you see when you come across one?
“It’s part of me”
The reason I’m asking these questions is because for me, a farm was previously always just a way toward sustainable living. You know, growing food on your own, not being dependent on anyone, having a few animals here and there and living a quiet life. But then I started travelling and based on what I have seen my perspective has changed. I started getting a bigger vision about what I could do with my own land one day and how that land could positively impact myself, my family and other people in our worldwide community.
Then my wife and I decided to come to Egypt, not knowing where we’d be going or what we’d be doing. There we met Belal, the founder of Insights Seekers, which is an organization of a diverse group of wilderness therapy enthusiasts, who share their approach to healing through adventures in the outdoors. One thing which caught my attention was Belal’s vision for the land he bought outside of Dahab, in a place called Nuweiba.
Unlike all the definitions of a farm that I previously thought of, by listening to Belal and his vision for his farm, I realized that a better definition of a farm is, “the farm is part of Me.” That’s it. Simple. The farm is a part of him. A few days later, I saw why.
We went to help him to do some work around it. I didn’t know what to expect about what I would see. I thought there would be trees, animals, buildings. You know, the usual things that every farm has. But when we came, I realized this land is just in the beginning phase. The growth will come from every piece of energy that Belal and his friends, family, employees and volunteers put into it.
The land is massive, 9 acres in total. There are olive trees planted. There’s one small building that is a living space for the man who is currently living and working on the farm full time, and a bathroom, and lots and lots of rocks. If you ask a regular person to look at it, they may just see what I first saw. But if you listen to Belal’s vision, you look out onto the land and you see in your mind’s eye the greenery, beautiful buildings, and stables pop up. You see people planting something new, some taking a walk, others sitting in meditation.
When you look at the landscape of Egypt, especially if you come from a part of Earth that looks very different, the desert can be daunting. And it certainly is not what you envision when you think of the word farm. I think noting this is really important. It can be easy to think that there is little life in the desert when you look from a naive eye, but perhaps it takes one
person’s intention, hard work and nurturing to build a thriving, green farm..in the middle of a beautiful desert.
For those who have not visited a desert before, it is hard to describe the feeling you experience when you have been walking or driving through the desert for some time, only to come across even one lone tree, let alone a whole bunch of trees and plants. Mother nature is perfect in her design and there is healing possible all around us if we look for it, and the desert is no different.
The vision of the farm
When you look at the farm through Belal’s eyes you can see an amazing healing center which provides a safe space for every person who wants to remove themselves from the busyness and stresses, or even traumas, of their daily lives. You can see a place of spiritual healing with the help of animals. You can see an “escape” from city life and enjoyment of silence, breeze, air, and the sea. You can see people working on permaculture as part of their spiritual healing. I mean, when you hear him explaining these things, the vision is so clear and vivid that you have the feeling that it’s already come to fruition.
I can tell you that if you’re not being defined by a vision of your future, you will be left with the memories of your past, and you won’t do anything in your life because you wont have something to believe in. Are there some people who will laugh at this vision of the farm? Absolutely, because sometimes when you are the first to do something, people will mock you before they will praise you. This will in fact be the first wilderness retreat centre in Egypt. I realized that as long as the visionary holds true to their vision, that’s all that matters in seeing the project through until the end.
The way he treats his land and people working on that land tells me that he really cares about it. We were collecting rocks that day in order to build facilities from them. I’m telling you, he was the hardest working person there. He works hard because he cares. He has something to believe in. That energy then translates to others around him to help him fulfill that dream. I was glad that I was a part of something that day.
As I said, there will be permaculture work that people will learn how to do and be one with it. He’s raising horses and camels in a gentle, non-mainstream way that preserves their personalities and their healing capabilities, so that all is needed is for humans and animals to be introduced and to interact in order for the healing to occur. You will have space for meditation and mindfulness. There will be trips to the beach, which is close to the farm, so you can get some vitamin D and Sea, get grounded and be one with the water, sun and earth. I mean, it’s going to be an amazing wilderness healing retreat center.
Everything that’s done on the farm is a reflection of who Insights Seekers are. It’s a reflection of their vision and their mission. It’s a reflection of them as individuals. When you’re putting your time, money, effort and energy into something you fully believe in, it becomes bigger than you. Your mission becomes all about helping and serving others. Your mission becomes your second nature, a part of you.
Funding for the farm
The vision of the farm is about helping others to remember who they really are, to connect back to the peace within themselves. It’s about showing others a path towards their destiny. It’s about serving others through various ways of healing that can help them get back to their true selves. It’s about making a difference!
What was really interesting to me is that part of the funding for the farm comes from the money earned from the expeditions within Insight Seekers, which feels really beautiful knowing when you join an expedition, you are actually helping plant trees, feed animals, and you are supporting a larger life mission. Every time you book a rock-climbing trip, hike & seek expedition, adventure souls expedition, or any other adventure, part of that money goes into supporting this amazing and inspiring mission.
So far, I have done rock-climbing adventures and was experiencing work on the farm. I’m happy to know that my work has meaning because part of it goes into a vision that (soon) will become a reality. I have no doubt that Insights Seekers will make their future dream a present fact. It will become reality. And do you know what’s the best part?
That YOU can be a part of it! That you can contribute just with your presence and going on an adventure with Insight Seekers. And we’ll be more than happy to share this path with you!
Find out more about upcoming expeditions and about our farm and we can’t wait to have you in one of our amazing adventures!